What does Windows error code 8238 (ERROR_DS_INAPPROPRIATE_MATCHING) mean?

ERROR_DS_INAPPROPRIATE_MATCHING

ERROR_DS_INAPPROPRIATE_MATCHING (0x0000202E) is an Active Directory Domain Services LDAP result. The LDAP filter requested a matching rule that is not valid for the target attribute syntax.

Identify the attribute and matching rule used in the filter and compare them with the attribute syntax in the schema. Rewrite the query using a rule supported for that syntax instead of changing the stored directory value.

What to check

• Verify that the filter operator is supported for the attribute being searched.
• Check whether the client uses an extensible match rule, substring filter, or ordering comparison that the attribute does not support.
• Test the filter with a simple equality expression before adding complex matching logic.

Useful command

Get-ADObject -LDAPFilter "(<attribute>=<value>)" -SearchBase "DC=<domain>,DC=<tld>"

Microsoft: AD DS LDAP operations · Microsoft: LDAP ETW tracing · Microsoft: Get-ADObject